El Dorado Oasis in Yucca Valley – Our Gay Couple Desert Escape
Karl Krause CALIFORNIA: Our gay-friendly stay at El Dorado Oasis in Yucca Valley by queer business owners Kit & John. Tips for the LGBTQ+ High Desert community & Joshua Tree Park. The post El Dorado Oasis in Yucca Valley – Our Gay Couple Desert Escape appeared first on Gay Travel Blog - Couple of Men.
Mark
After leaving Big Bear Lake behind, it was time for the desert. Not just any desert, but a place that felt like home the moment we arrived. A few days earlier, we had been surrounded by pine trees and golden autumn colors, and now the vast stillness of the High Desert opened up in front of us. And this time, we weren’t just checking into a vacation rental but into the desert home of our friends, Kit Williamson and John Halbach. In this article, we take you to Yucca Valley, introduce you to Kit and John’s El Dorado Oasis, and share insights into the local gay and LGBTQ+ community of the High Desert right next to Joshua Tree National Park.
The El Dorado Oasis in Yucca Valley surprised us from the very first moment with its peaceful location and thoughtful gay design.
In the middle of Yucca Valley – just under an hour from Palm Springs – the two of them bought a small mid-century property in 2021. A house they renovated with care and a distinct sense of style: clean lines, warm wood, well-placed color accents, art from the queer community, and that grounded desert elegance that fits this landscape so well. Outside, you’ll find a hot tub, a small pool, an outdoor bathtub, seating areas for every time of day, and three hammocks stretched between Joshua trees. After sunset, the sky sparkles as if someone hung thousands of tiny lanterns above the sand. We honestly didn’t want to leave.
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Our Stay at the El Dorado Oasis – A Personal Review
With all our photo stops and a relaxed pace, the drive from Big Bear Lake took less than two hours. For the final stretch, we left the paved desert road and followed a sandy, dusty gravel track. Slowly, we rolled through a quiet neighborhood where our friends’ house had to be somewhere. We passed small, lovingly maintained desert homes, eccentric garden setups, and wide open fields full of Joshua trees glowing in the afternoon light.
We were looking for a bright red Ford Jeep, the landmark that would guide us to Kit and John’s desert home. A few Joshua trees later, Daan spotted the vintage Jeep first. That was the moment we knew we had arrived. The gate was open, and we could drive to the front door of the unassuming home resting quietly in the landscape. Karl turned off the engine, leaned back into his seat, and exhaled deeply. “We made it. I’m ready for a few days of sunshine, warmth, and quiet. And you, of course, my love.” Next to him, Daan was already gathering cables and backpacks, excited to step inside finally.
Arriving at a Desert Oasis of Calm
John had sent us the door code and all important instructions by email beforehand, “just as we do for every guest,” as he wrote. The door opened without any issues. And suddenly we found ourselves inside this bright, welcoming home that we had only known from photos. A spacious, fully equipped kitchen with a breakfast nook by the window, two bedrooms, two bathrooms with showers, and an airy living room flooded with natural light.
“Which room do you want to sleep in?” Daan called out. “Either one. Both have access to the back terrace,” Karl replied. So we met there, without planning it. Hand in hand, we stepped outside, past the hot tub, to the small blue pool facing the open desert. “What a view.” We kissed, happy, safe, and grateful to have arrived at our gay-friendly accommodation in Yucca Valley that immediately felt like a peaceful oasis in the middle of the desert: open, safe, and naturally queer-friendly.
Settling In – Pasta & Photography
After unloading the car and settling into the home, Daan got straight to one of his favorite activities: cooking pasta. We had stopped at a grocery store on the way and stocked up on everything we needed for five days in the desert. As the smell of garlic and tomatoes filled the kitchen, Karl grabbed his camera and began exploring the house in detail. In the living room, right next to the record player and a small collection of vinyls by Orville Peck (the well-known queer country musician), he discovered a framed article from The Los Angeles Times.
A full feature about Kit and John, their decision to swap their L.A. lifestyle for a desert homestead, and the queer community that has become increasingly visible in Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree. It was fascinating how much of their lives and work could be seen in this house: the mix of mid-century modern and desert boho, the queer cowboy spirit, the little objects from their creative projects, and the design touches that make a house feel like a home. Much of it we recognized from conversations, from trips we had taken together, from their series EastSiders, and from long evenings in Amsterdam. Yet here in the desert, everything felt closer, more personal.
Slow Desert Days – Hot Tub, Hammocks, Stargazing
The days passed quickly. Between our visits to Joshua Tree National Park were long, peaceful hours at the El Dorado Oasis, where we simply enjoyed nature and the gift of having nothing to do. Our favorite ritual? Sitting naked in the hot tub after breakfast, before a nap in the hammocks, at sunset, or late at night under a sky shimmering with thousands of stars. It felt like our own little ceremony, repeated every day.
The small, round, blue pool was perfect for cooling off during warm desert afternoons. In the evenings, we cooked almost every meal ourselves, let the day wind down slowly, and fell into the incredibly comfortable beds after looking at the stars. It was a true desert oasis, and we were lucky to enjoy it exactly the way we love traveling as a gay couple: free, safe, and at our own rhythm and pace.
In this moment, when the pasta was almost ready, the warm colors of the home and the framed newspaper piece naturally led to the next part of the story: how a simple Instagram message in Amsterdam years ago eventually brought us here, to this desert hideaway in California.
Kit & John – Our Gay Actor Friends from Los Angeles
Kit Williamson and John Halbach have been part of our journey for many years, long before they decided to leave Los Angeles behind and bring a piece of queer pioneer spirit into the desert. Back then, none of us imagined that we would one day stay at their desert home, surrounded by Joshua trees and endless views. Before they bought their mid-century home in Yucca Valley in 2021, they lived in Silver Lake. Kit was writing and starring in the queer cult series EastSiders, while John worked as a producer and in digital LGBTQ media at Queerty. When the pandemic shrunk their world down to a single apartment, the desire for space, light, and breathing room grew. They told us how they worked side by side, with Kit writing scripts in bed and John trying to focus on producing, and then, eventually, realized that something needed to change.
Cowboy Life in the Desert – Queer & Free
Their decision to move wasn’t rooted in romantic escapism. The L.A. housing market had become brutal, with many homes far beyond reach. At the same time, they felt the desert offered more than distance: it offered possibility, a new perspective, a new community, and a home they could create freely and intentionally.
When they finally found the two-bedroom house with lots of glass and five acres full of Joshua trees, they began turning an existing homestead into a place that reflects their personalities while honoring the spirit of Yucca Valley. They renovated bathrooms, created outdoor living spaces, added little hideaways, hung queer art, and shaped that unmistakable style they jokingly call “mid-century modern meets bohemian cowboy.” A house that feels alive with their warmth and creativity.
“We Came In and Made It Gay”
They laugh when they say they “made the house gay,” but there’s something deeper behind it: visibility. Openness. A queerer way of seeing and shaping the world around them. They told us how much the community has evolved here, with Pride flags now appearing in shop windows, neighbors talking to one another, and new queer gathering spots emerging. And how, for the first time, they felt they had met more neighbors on their dirt road than they ever had in all their years in Silver Lake. As you can see in the photos, Kit and John are more than “just” hosts. They’re friends whose lives inspire us with their honesty, warmth, creativity, and courage in their choices. Their home carries an energy that only exists when people pour their whole selves into a place. And that energy is what made our stay something much more than just a few peaceful days in the desert.
How We Met – A Friendship That Started in Amsterdam
Our story with Kit and John begins far from the desert but in Amsterdam. Daan had been a fan of EastSiders for a while and had been following both of them on Instagram. When he saw that they were planning a European trip with a stop in Amsterdam, he did what he does best: reaching out via social media. No big expectations, just a spontaneous message. A few days later, we had a date. Daan, proud Amsterdammer that he is, wanted to show them the city the way we love it. We took them on a private boat tour along the canals in the golden evening light, with that calming rhythm of water and city reflections you only experience from the water.
That’s also where we took our first photo together, on a boat on the Amstel, where next year the canal parade of World Pride will take place. Afterward, we went out for dinner and walked through the city until the night settled over the rooftops. It was one of those encounters where time simply disappears. We talked, laughed, and shared stories about our travels, our work, and our dreams. And at some point, we realized we were no longer in the roles of “fans,” “actors,” or “bloggers,” but in something much more authentic: the beginning of a friendship. We’ve stayed in touch ever since. We saw each other whenever we traveled to California, L.A., and to different places that have since taken on meaning. And this time, years after that first boat tour, we finally got to stay at their desert retreat. A moment that felt like a full-circle memory.
LGBTQ+ in Yucca Valley – A First Glimpse
Before this trip, we never would have expected Yucca Valley to have such a visibly queer presence. But from the moment we drove through town, it was clear how much is changing here: Pride flags in windows, queer-owned shops, and small cafés where rainbow colors aren’t decoration but part of daily life. In a short time, many queer-owned businesses have opened their doors here. This growing LGBTQ+ High Desert community is something you feel in conversations, in storefronts, in the way people show up for one another.
Many queer residents came here from Palm Springs, Los Angeles, or other parts of California. Some were looking for peace, others for more space, and others for a new creative beginning. The result is a quiet but powerful queer presence that stretches across the High Desert. And in Joshua Tree itself, we discovered several queer-owned businesses that are now an essential part of the area’s creative fabric.
From Giant Cowboys to Desert Fine Dining
Some of these places are not what you would expect in a desert town. The Station, a cult-classic concept store run by a gay couple, has become a landmark of Joshua Tree and is part shop, part meeting point, part photo backdrop. The widely loved, queer-run restaurant La Copine (always check current opening hours) represents this new generation of desert creatives just as much as Frontier, a coffee shop run by a lesbian couple.
Shops like Geode and Gypsum, Joshua Tree Blanket Company, or the colorful Beauty Bubble Salon & Museum are all part of this growing, visible community. This diversity makes Yucca Valley not only attractive for nature lovers but also for queer travelers looking for authenticity – real encounters, real places, not things polished for tourism.
You sense the organic growth everywhere. More on these places – and a full guide to queer-owned businesses in Joshua Tree and the High Desert – will be published soon on Couple of Men. We experienced so many beautiful encounters that a short section here could never do them justice.
Joshua Tree National Park – Tips for Your Visit
Joshua Tree National Park is only a short drive from the El Dorado Oasis, being close enough for a spontaneous visit, yet large and diverse enough to get lost in its vastness. At more than 3,000 square kilometers, the park spans two different desert systems: the lower Colorado Desert in the south and the higher Mojave Desert to the north, where the iconic Joshua trees grow. For first-time visitors, a few essential Joshua Tree tips can make all the difference.
Currently, the entry pass costs around $30 per vehicle and is valid for 7 days. Even a simple drive through the park is breathtaking: huge rock formations, rolling hills, open plains, and those peculiar Joshua trees that look almost mythical when the sunlight hits them just right. During our visit, we had the sense that the landscape kept shifting: barren one moment, surreal the next, and warm and inviting shortly after.
Our own favorite stops have grown over the years: the panoramic view at Keys View, where the Coachella Valley stretches out all the way to the Salton Sea on a clear day; the Cholla Cactus Garden, which looks like it’s glowing from within during sunrise or sunset; and the massive rock formations around Hidden Valley, perfect for small hikes. For a relaxed day in the park, we recommend bringing plenty of water, arriving early, and choosing both a viewpoint and a short hike.
For us, Joshua Tree National Park is not a sight you “check off” your bucket list. It is much more a place you allow to unfold slowly. That’s precisely why we plan to publish a detailed Joshua Tree travel guide soon. This section is just a preview of what’s to come on Couple of Men.
Why the El Dorado Oasis in Yucca Valley Felt Like a Gay Home
When we think back to our days at the Gay El Dorado Oasis in Yucca Valley, the memory circles around multiple highlight moments with its warm, steady feeling that wove through each day.
The desert’s vastness, the quiet between the Joshua trees, the soft morning light, the star-filled nights. And in the middle of it all, a home that felt not just like a place to stay, but a place where we, as a gay couple, could be fully ourselves.
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Maybe it was the touch of Kit and John that we felt in every room. Perhaps it was the freedom to move around (yes, including naked) without feeling watched or judged. It could have been the mix of design, nature, and queer presence, a combination we often seek in our travels. Most likely, it was all of it together, this blend of gay and queer desert energy and the El Dorado Oasis in Yucca Valley, a safe and quiet retreat in Southern California. A place that reminded us how good it feels to slow down and take intentional time for each other.
For our gay travel experience in California’s desert, the El Dorado Oasis was a place that moved us deeply. And that’s why we’ll return. Not just for the sunsets, the hammocks, or the hot tub. But for that feeling of arrival, with ourselves, with nature, with friends who share a part of their lives with us. The El Dorado Oasis showed us what genuine hospitality feels like. And for that, we are grateful.
Continue Your LGBTQ+ Friendly Road Trip Through Southern California
If you’re planning your own road trip through Southern California, you’ll find plenty of tips on our website for LGBTQ+ friendly destinations, hikes, accommodations, and gay events. Interested in queer outdoor experiences, ski weeks, or other mountain destinations? Then browse through our guides or write to us directly for personal recommendations. You can also follow us on Facebook, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. We are excited to connect! Karl & Daan.
Important note: Our gay trip to Big Bear Lake was made possible in close collaboration with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Visit California, and Kit & John. Nevertheless, our opinions and texts — as always — are based entirely on our own personal experiences. We took all the photos and videos in this article.
The post El Dorado Oasis in Yucca Valley – Our Gay Couple Desert Escape appeared first on Gay Travel Blog - Couple of Men.
